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Paint it Black: Three-way Conflict
After a satisfying breakfast at IHOP, Pinky scouted out the nearest Saks Fifth Avenue and dragged Matthew along with her whether he like it or not. As she stepped through the doors of the store she caught a whiff of Juicy pefume and was instantly in heaven. She sped up her pace and disregarded the snooty assistants' stares. Pinky and Matthew stuck out like a sore thumb in the store's expensive, classy ambience; especially with Matthew's dirty clothes and Pinky's unusual eyes. Pinky ignored everyone, practically salivating at the many smooth silks, leathers, and countless other expensive clothing items. As quickly as she could she threw a pair of True Religion dark-wash jeans and a Ralph Lauren plain white tee at Matthew, then almost a bit crazily Pnky started accumilating an enormous pile of various shirts, pants, skirts, and anything else imaginable in many colorful assortments. Without even noticing a certain suspicious looking young man towards the back of the store, she fled to the dressing rooms resembling a disastrous tornado. "I'm not wearing these..." Matthew grumbled, not appreciating being in the store in the first place. He hated these expensive jeans. And why was she only getting him one pair, if they were getting anything? It was so absurd. The smell of perfume in the air made him want to vomit. While he had to admit that it smelled nice and made him dizzy in small doses, the overwhelming amount of it in the store's air made him gag. "Could you hurry up?" he asked, tapping on the door to Pinky's dressing room lightly. "I don't like it here." Scythe had entered the store to browse, and browse only. He hardly had the money to buy the groceries for his teamates (lazy punks that they were) let alone shop for expensive clothes. Ah, but nonetheless, it made Scythe happy to be in a store of high class such as this one. Here he could get away from his duties, and at least pretend he was normal. The moment Matthew and Pinky entered the store, Scythe's eye twitched. Thankfully, it was the eye hidden by his neatly groomed hair, which also happened to be tipped in a dark red color. Trying his best to be inconspicuous, he ducked behind a clothing rack full of shorts, which didn't hide him very well. An attendant nearby stared at him strangely, but decided to ignore him. He's just a creepy goth kid anyway. As long as he doesn't disturb the customers... Sycthe darted to another rack, (this one full of summer dresses) edging closer to Matthew. The pair looked suspicious, and there was no telling whether the two ragamuffins had certain...abilities or not. Pinky tried on everything with inhuman speed, finally deciding on a unique pair of skinny jeans that looked like the sky when it had dozens of puffy clouds dotting it. She paired it off with a Juicy neon yellow tee, then threw on a vintage dark jean jacket over everything. Finally she put on black leather ballerina flats and added a black beaded necklace. Pinky was nothing but eccentric when it came to clothing. Satisfied, Pinky left the rest of the clothes in a heaping pile on the floor of the dressing roo. She stepped out, meeting the stares of all those rich, snooty women. Upon eye contact, the women nervously looked away, and Pinky smirked. She looked at Matthew, who was still in his dirty clothing. "Get dressed now, or I'll be forced to spray more perfume directly into your face." She regarded him with a raised eyebrow. Pinky smiled inwardly, Matthew was such a stubborn boy. Sudden movement caught her attention, using her peripherals, she spotted a black clad teenager lurking behind a rack of sundresses. Pinky's fashion craze ended abruptly, something about this guy unnerved her. "HURRY." She hissed at Matthew and shoved him into the dressing room. "I already said I don't want to put them on!" Matthew roared, not very happy about being dragged to the store. Now he was being shoved into dressing rooms full of girlish clothes that they obviously couldn't afford. She was even picking out his clothes for him. "Why can't we go to Lowes or something!?" he carried on further, calling the attention of nearly everyone in the store. His face was completely red now. Why was she acting like his mother? Matthew hated his mother. She was a stupid, self-absorbed wench. His mood grew darker and darker as he experienced even more unpleasent memories, and the air around him grew heavier as he began to exert his energy. By this time Scythe had made it all the way to the rack where Pinky had retrieved the pair of jeans she was wearing. Being a superhero of sorts, he happened to be extra-senstive when it came to senseing other people's powers, and the force of Matthew's almost knocked him over. He stepped backwards, considering calling in the rest of the team, when he heard a CLANK! ''noise behind him. He sighed. ''Great! Stupid, metal clothing rack. ''He thought angrily to himself. Hoping to hide himself a bit longer and hurled himself into the nearest clothing carosel, where hopefully the circle of clothing would keep him hidden. Pinky sighed inwardly, the clueless boy probably thought she hadn't heard the obvious clank of metal, or that she had seen him duck into the clothing carousel. It was actually sort of funny, the boy seemed like he thought himself a spy or super hero or something. She stiffened when she felt Matthew's energy, and did some quick thinking. Quickly she stepped into the large dressing room, instantly putting her hands on Matthew's shoulder's. "Matt, calm down. I'm sorry! We'll go to Wal-mart and get you something there ok?" She said soothingly, patting his head. "Now lets get outta here because this goth kid has sensed something's up with us. It's best to avoid a conflict, let's go." She took his hand and squeezed it, making sure Matthew understood that she hadn't wanted to upset him. Matthew seemed to calm down a bit. There was a small flash of emotion in his eyes... Regret? Worry? It was impossible to tell. His head bowed, and he found himself unable to take his eyes off of the floor. "I.. I'm sorry... I'll put the clothes on.." he mumbled sadly. Matthew stood there, waiting for her to leave the dressing room so he could put on the clothes Pinky had picked out for him. Now he would be happy to wear them... If only to please Pinky. Somehow Pinky was...touched...that he had agree'd to put the clothes on. She flashed him a warm smile and stepped out, closing the door behind her softly. The goth kid would probably try to stop them from stealing the clothes, and Pinky was not putting the clothes back. She looked back at the door, and prayed Matthew would take his sweet time changing. She narrowed her eyes and walked stealthily to the clothing carousel. Then with a certain vigor she cleared her throat loudly and with obvious purpose. Waiting with her hand on her hip and the other resting on her back pocket, where she'd hid the Stick. Two articles of clothing were moved aside ever so slowly by two pale hands. A small opening was soon formed between them, through which Scythe peeked out. But it seemed that his efforts were futile, for there stood the pink-eyed girl, waiting with an impatient air to her. Scythe inhaled sharply, and closed the two pieces of clothing back together. His face red with embarassment, he mentall slapped himself for being so stupid. Jumping to his feet, Scythe stood up in the middle of the carousel. "Can I help you, young lady?" he asked, faking politeness. He looked down at Pinky from his great height, his hidden eye again twitching slightly. Pinky didn't move whatsoever. Tall people didn't intimidate her, except for her dad...She mentally slapped herself and stared him down, despite her actual height. "Yeah, I'd appreciate it if you would leave, NOW." She gestured to the door and stepped aside to let him pass by if he chose to leave. "Pinky..." Matthew stepped up nervously behind Pinky, obviously unnerved at his new appearance. He peeked past her slightly at the incredibly large gothic-gentleman she was talking to. "Is everything okay...?" he asked, tugging on the back of her new jacket. "Why should I have to leave? This is America after all. Freedom and all that, right? And if you can't pay for those clothes, then I believe it should be ''you ''who is leaving, eh?" he asked, almost mocking her. Scythe stood on his tiptoes a little, hoping to intimidate her with his tallness. Pinky's amused laugh reverbrated around the deathly silent store, everyone who wasn't involved stared compulsively. "Why do you care if we take these clothes? These people make enough money anyways, they charge more for this one necklace than a small home, I think they can get by without my paying for these clothes. Oh and by the way, nice platforms, what are you? Like five feet tall without them? Talk about short man's complex." She smirked condenscendingly and tilted her head a bit. This was fun and all, but she wanted to avoid fighting... Matthew was staring daggers at the man from behind Pinky. "Why is an emo in here anyway? Shouldn't you be shopping at Hot Topic?" he snapped, putting enormous weight on the man's back with his psychokinesis. If he even attempted any movements towards Pinky, he would crush him. If this had been a cartoon, a vein would've been clearly visable upon Scythe's forehead. Oh they were so going to get it. If only there weren't this weird pressure on his back, then maybe. Yet, despite this, he couldn't help from his arms transforming from regular human hands, to large monsterous metal claws. "YOU, YOU, YOU..........YOU!" Scythe fumed, unable to form any words. Customers and employees alike were scampering out of the store at top speed. Pinky merely blinked, then spun quickly and shoved Matthew backwards, she winked at him and spun back to the goth kid. She whipped out her Stick and it transformed into a ridiculously huge sword with a wicked tip and a laser running along the very tip of it. She ran forward and then suddenly slid, sliding easily on the polished marble floor between his legs. Before he could react she jumped up and placed her sword dangerously close to his neck. She noticed Matthew's killer glare, and shook her head no at him, Pinky had this under control. Matthew wasn't listening. But he still couldn't disobey Pinky... Transfering his anger from Scythe to the area around him, the floor began cracking under the tremendous pressure, and the racks of clothing around him were all pressed against the floor. Matthew's glare was fixated on the man. Why wouldn't Pinky let him kill him...? "Woah there!" Scythe exclaimed, putting his still huge claws up in front of him. All anger was now forgotten, all that mattered now was staying alive. These two were clearly not ordinary civilians, judgeing by the damage to the store. He pushed the sword a safe distance away from him, holding it there. It was a good thing that when his hands were metal, they were indestructable. Sure, his hands would be pretty badly scraped later once they were back to normal, but for the time being he could do what he wanted with his powers. "It's not polite to point weapons at people you know.." he told Pinky. If only he could reach his communicator...but with that Matthew guy there, with whatever freaky powers he had, it was likely near to impossible. "First of all, you started it by taking out your claws, Mister Kitteh. Second of all, we need these clothes, and it isn't like we were gonna hurt anybody. And if you try anything, my buddy here Matt will have to hurt you, or I could, but that depends on whether you prefer blade or force. Now let us go...please." Pinky replied, walking back to where Matthew was and changing her Stick back to normal. She puppy dog faced him and held Matthews hand, hoping Matthew wouldn't kill him. His mood immediately lightened, and Matthew seemed to forget all about Scythe, now fixated only on Pinky. The pressure on the surrounding area stopped; Matthew even smiled, happy to have Pinky back by his side. He leaned his head on her shoulder, now ready to fall asleep. He shouldn't have gotten so mad and used so much of his power... for no reason, too. He mumbled something illedgible and closed his eyes slightly. Somehow, a wave of pity washed over Scythe. His arms returned to their normal shape and size, and he reached into his pocket. He sighed gloomily, took out his black leather wallet, and pulled out a plastic blue card. "You really want those clothes? Lose the jacket, I'll buy 'em for you." he said, pointing the card at Pinky and Matthew. Interesting, the goth kid wanted to help them. Pinky debated this in her head, calculating all the pro's and con's. She then noticed something, the goth kid's hand kept twitching towards his pocket. She figured he had a cell phone or something in there. Nevertheless Pinky decided it was for the best, she didn't want to make enemies anyways, and they could certainly use some help. "You've got yourself a deal, Emo Kitteh, the jacket doesn't even match anyways." She shrugged off the jacket and threw it on a rack, then turned to the emo kid, gave him a smile and waited for Matthew to argue. Matthew stood still for a moment before he finally figured out what was going on. "We don't need your charity.." he grumbled, pushing Scythe back a little with a small wave. He wasn't able to get very mad at the moment... He'd exerted most of his power just a few minutes ago, and now he was a little bit dull. But he still didn't want to become some kind of charity case. "We don't.. need your help.. Leave, before I kill you.." he threatened, though from the look on his face, it was obvious he could do no such thing. "Whatever.." Scythe said, pretending not to be affected by it. The cashier was still standing at the counter, rooted to the spot. Scythe handed her the credit card, and she hastily took it, then threw it at him once she was done. Scythe walked out of the store, gesturing for the two to follow. He examined his hands after this, noticing that they were, indeed, badly scratched as he had predicted. "Matt, it's ok, we'll pay him back or something, it's not charity. He's just paying us for not killing him or kicking his butt OK? Plus, we could definately use some friends right now." She smiled and put her arm around him, then continued on behind emo kitteh. She went up to him and said "Hi! What's your real name, Emo Kitteh?" while nudging his side. Also making sure Matthew was right next to her. Matthew was still slightly pissed. Why should he have to be friends with some emo? Shaking Pinky's arm off of himself, he took one step back, showing that he wanted no part in the engagement. He wouldn't be able to look Pinky in the face after this... He kept his eyes fixated on the ground so that he wouldn't be able to recieve any looks from her. Scythe put a hand over his non-visable eye. It was twitching again. Maybe he should get it checked out by the doctor, which would probably cost less than those clothes had. "I'm not emo, and I am most certainly ''not a cat. I hate cats!" he snarled, an image of Gust with that stupid cat of his popping up in his minds eye. "You can call me Scythe. Now what can I call you two?" he asked, taking note of the brooding Matthew behind him. "Kay then shortie, I'm Pinky, and back there is Matthew." She said cheerfully, choosing not to call Scythe by his name. She glanced back at Matt and sighed, she gestured for him to come walk next to her. Turning back to Scythe, she asked, "So where are we going Mister Emo Kitteh?" Grinning ridiculously she waited for his response. Matthew returned to Pinky's side, though he was still obviously displeased at what they were doing. Though, the fact that she was annoying him made him smile slightly, he was still annoyed, nevertheless. "Did you cut yourself?" he asked, glancing at the scrapes on his arms. Scythe turned sharply on his heel. "What did I just tell you?! I'M NOT EMO!! These? These are from fights, kay? I'm a hero, a good guy. I help people. I was thinking about helpin' you guys, but judgeing by your bad atitude, I don't think I will!" he shouted at Matthew. People were starting to stop and stare at the scene as Scythe started to storm away. But before he knew it he turned back around, grabbed both of their wrists, and dragged them into the closest alleyway. Letting them go, he sat on a dusty blue crate and sighed very emo-ishly. "I'm sorry. So what's your guy's deal anyway? What're you supposed to be?" Pinky's face turned serious, "We are planning to be circus freaks, and hobos." Then she couldn't help it and guffawed extremely loud. She doubled over laughing then eventually calmed down. "To be honest, I met my buddy Matt here yesterday after having this epic battle with him. Now were partners in crime. All I'm really looking for is a place to stay the night." She looked hopefully at Scythe, and tried her to look innocent and sincere. Matthew grumbled something illedgible. Now they would be sleeping over at the emo's house. Perfect; maybe they could smoke in synchronization, or pain eachother's nails black. He glanced up at Pinky. She seemed pretty keen on it. Matthew would tolerate it. "Well...I suppose I could take you back to base...I was on the way." Scythe mused, scratching his wrist. But is it really okay to bring two potentially dangerous strangers back to our home? ''"Wait a minute. Did you say partners in ''crime?! ''What's that supossed to mean?!" "Take a joke, Emo Kitteh! I meant now we are two peas in a pod." Pinky exclaimed dramatically and grinned. She strode over to the Emo Kitteh Scythe and patted his shoulder. "We really appreciate this...both of us, despite the nasty looks and comments my buddy Matt's giving you. REALLY!" She smiled again and motioned for Emo Kitteh Scythe to show them the way, Pinky couldn't wait to meet the rest of the people at The Base, if they were anything like Scythe then things were about to get interesting... "We ''do appreciate it, Scythe.." Matthew said grumpily, but seriously, intercepting Pinky from getting near Scythe. She was still his. Scythe couldn't have her. "But I don't think we'll be staying very long. Will we..?" he asked unsteadily, glancing upwards at Pinky for her opinion once again. Scythe held his chin in his hand for a moment, contemplating. To take potential villians into your base, or not to take potential villians into your base? That was the question. Scythe reached for his T communicator. He clicked a button, and a dial tone was heard. After a few seconds, the tiny screen changed to show the face of a bright-eyed teen with long orange-ish brown hair that flipped up on one side. "What? What do you want? I haven't brought anymore cats home while you've been gone, I SWARE!" he yelled. Scythe turned his communicator towards Matthew and Pinky to show them. "Gust, this is Pinky and Matthew. You think they can stay at the base tonight?" he asked. In response, Gust just stared at the pair blankly, unsure of what to say. Meanwhile, a fluffy white cat with an orange patch on its' eye could be seen jumping on the couch in the background. Pinky smiled and waved at the screen, "Hi there! Mr. Emo Kitteh here offered to let us stay at you're place, is that ok?" She asked brightly, smiling even more. She looked at the guy, sizeing him up and deciding that he would be an easy fight. Pinky hoped things would get fun...soon. Matthew was considering killing them all. It would be fairly easy; even if Pinky interferred, he doubted she'd be able to stop him before he was able to kill one and at least a few others. Sure, they were offering them a place to stay, but who said that they couldn't claim it for themselves? What was stopping they, who, he was relatively sure, were at least three times stronger than the entire team they were about to meat from conquering them all and taking over. His eyes gleamed with the potential prospect... and then dimmed. What would Pinky think of him after that? Even if he was able to conquer, he didn't want to live there by himself... Matthew abandoned the idea. It wouldn't be ethical to kill the only team of heroes in the city, anyway. The villians here would begin to thrive, and that would only cause more trouble for Pinky and Matthew. A grin appeared on Gust's face. "Kitteh? Scythe? A KITTEH?!" he dissapeared from view for a moment as he doubled over in laughter. When he came back into the view of the camera he had tears in his eyes. "Oh,hohoho! That's a good one! I can't believe we're having guests! I'll come pick you guys up, alright?" said Gust, rising from his seat and walking away from the screen. "ICE! GADGET! START CLEANING! WE'RE HAVING GUESTS!!" was the last thing that was heard before Scythe hastily turned the communicator off and shoved it into his pocket. He face was slightly red, and presumably it was from anger. "I hate cats..." he muttered, staring off at the entrance to the alley, watching the people walk by. Pinky walked over and sympathetically patted Scythes back, "Sure you do, sure you do...but we both know that in reality you have a cat-fetish. It's alright...I understand...I too have weird fetishes and keep them a secret, don't worry, I won't tell this Gust person about your kitteh fetish, Emo Kitteh." She said this seriously, looking at Scythe with an understanding face. But inside, oh inside Pinky was laughing her butt off, savoring the irony of Emo Kitteh Scythe hating cats. Oh the interesting had already begun... Matthew made no point to hide his laughter; he was already bursting with it uncontrollably, collasped on the ground. It would not have been nearly as funny if Pinky didn't say it with a serious face. "GRAGH! NO! I HATE CATS!" Scythe yelled, throwing his hands in the air. As it so happened, they had also turned into giant claws again. Scythe stared at his hands in disbelief. "NO!" he shouted, slamming one arm into the brick wall nearest to him. A shadow then passed over his face. In fact, a shadow came over the entire already dark alleyway. A wobbly rectangle was slowly lowering itself into the tight space between two buildings. As it got lower, it was clear that wind was keeping the shape afloat, and that Gust was the person controlling it. He sat atop the rug like an araibian prince, arms and legs folded neatly. Scythe rolled his eyes and jumped on, not daring to even look in Gust's general direction. Ignoring his emo kitteh companion, Gust patted the carpet next to him, motioning with the other hand for Pinky and Matthew to hop on. Pinky grabbed Matthew's hand and pulled him on with her as she jumped onto the carpet. She guessed Gust had wind powers, it was kind of predictable...Scythe had sharp hands, Gust was bound to have something to do with air, and this Ice person as well...She leaned in close to Gust and asked, "Does Emo Kitteh Scythe here also have anger issues?" Something that felt like a smack whipped across Scythe's face. Matthew was smiling at something from all the way across the carpet. Scythe whipped around and shot imaginary daggers at Matthew with his eyes. Or really, it was eye, since only one was ever visable. Gust, who had turned around to watch this spectacle laughed aloud at Scythe (which only made him angrier). When he turned back around he finally noticed how close the strange, colorful girl was to him. "Yes, you could say that. You could definetly say that." he said, looking away as he couldn't help but blush. "Hang on!" he warned, before commanding the wind to push them upwards and onwards, towards the Titans South tower. A flash of anger swept over Matthew. Gust felt a blow to the back of his head. It felt like someone had thrown a brick at him... And it wasn't stopping. Blow after blow after blow hammered down on his head. Pinky saw this and immediately sprang into action, she tackled Matthew and created a barrier between Gust and him, but Pinky overshot it. She realized this just as it was too late, Pinky managed to tackle Matthew and stop him, but while Matthew just lay on the carpet, Pinky kept going...past the carpet and into the open air. She rushed downwards into traffic faster and faster. Pinky saw her life flash before her eyes, she couldn't do anything, her mind and body was frozen. The lasst thing she did was bid farewell to the world, then she let herself fall, losing consciousness as she neared her certain death... Head throbbing and adrenaline pumping, Gust sprang into action. He lept off of the rug after Pinky, and immediatley afterwards twisted around and with a stong upwards blast of wind, which sent the carpet into a strong air current. With the other two taken care of, he sent himself spiraling downwards with another blast, hurtling towards Pinky. Scythe leaned over the edge of the platform, observing the feat. With hands outstretched, Gust grabbed Pinky, not even ten feet from the ground below. With one more strong gust of upwardly wind they were flying through the air. Gust himself let out a sigh of relief. He glanced down at Pinky's unconsious, almost sleeping face, and his face flushed red again. He looked away and foucused on making it back to the others. Once there, he landed lightly on the rug and laid Pinky down as gently as he could. Gust gave Matthew a "That-wasn't-very-nice" look, and resumed his place on the rug, regaining control of the flight. Scythe also gave Matthew a look, it had no clear meaning, except that its' intent was nothing positive. Within a single second Matthew's expression went from one of utter shock to incredible dread and despair. Even Scythe couldn't match the way Matthew was looking at him; even with his plain-looking clothes, he looked so downtrodden that it was very possible to assume that he had never smile once in his life. He mumbled something lowly... A name, obviously, though from where they were both sitting it was impossible to tell who's. Matthew stared emptily at Pinky, regretting more and more what he had done. There was a slight breeze caressing Pinky's face, and the sun's warmth shone upon her face. Is this paradise? Pinky wondered, but upon hearing a guy mumbling on and on about his hatred for cats, she realised it wasnot heaven, very much indeed. She sat up quickly, the blood rushing down and causing her slight nausea. She looked around, there was Matthew, Scythe, and...Gust. For some reason this caused her to blush a bit. Then she looked around again, and realised she was high above the ground...on a flying carpet. It took her several seconds but finally she remembered what happened previously. So fist of all she crawled over to Matthew and gave him a thump on the head, though not a hard one. "Seriously Matthew, you need to control yourself." She whispered to him, next she looked at him and mock whispered, "Matthew sends his apologies EMO KITTEH SCYTHE." Finally she moved over to Gust and sat down sext to him. She looked at him and felt herself blush again. "I apologize for Matthew's actions, and I am forever in your debt for rescuing me. So thanks..." She said seriously, smiling gently at him. He actually looked quite...good...with his hair blowingi n the wind. Scythe dug his claws into the carpet and ignored all the others, staring at the way ahead, looking for the tower. Gust, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear. "Ah, haha, it was nothing. Ya know, usual superhero stuff and all. 'Cuz I'm a superhero! Yeah! Didja know that? Yup. Scythe is a hero too, though he doesn't look like one!" On the other end of the rug, Scythe twitched. "And, and, there's Ice Fox and Gadget too! Gadgets' sort of a nerd, he doesn't come out of his room a whole lot. He mostly stays there inventing stuff. But he built the tower! 'Cuz before the base was all underground and stuff. But then when Flora found Gadget he built the tower for us! Flora used to be our leader but she...." Gust pasued, and suddenly all he could see was the air ahead of him, and all he wanted to do was get back to the tower. Scythe layed himself across the rug and dug his claws even further into the fabric. "Um," Gust bit his lip, "Scythe is our leader now! He does really good!...Except when he gets mad at me. Then we pull a bunch of pranks on each other and ya know. It's fun! Ice Fox is sorta weird. She's blue! Like, her skin! And her hair! It's cuz she came from some weird planet or something. She hates chickens for some reason. Oh yeah! And I have this cat," he continued enthusiastically. Gust continued to ramble, happly talking about anything and everything there was to talk about. Especially cats. Matthew remained in his emo corner, staring dully at the floor. Because of him Pinky had almost died. He didn't deserve to live. He should just go away so that Pinky could be happy. "What happened to Flora?" he asked simply, most likely only asking because it obviously made the two uncomfortable. With their reactions, it was obvious that she probably died. People die all the time. Everyone will die, eventually. There was no point in being sad about it. As a hero, it was their duty to protect the people. If the time comes to kill someone, there should be no hesitation. Matthew, wrapped up in his own beliefs, was barely paying attention to the answer any longer. "I'm so sorry...about Flora." she said sympathetically, looking over at Scythe and giving him a smile, she patted Gusts head shot a glare at Matthew, he was being especially pessimistic today, though she had no idea why in the world he was so moody. Gust went oddly silent, and for a few seconds no one spoke. It was akward when Scythe finally spoke up, now back in a sitting position, "Flora was the girl who started Titans South. She brought us all together, and then she just went and died on us. Because she overused her powers, and it sucked the life out of her like a leech." He muttered, staring at his hands. In the distance, about 5 miles away, a T-shaped building was visable on a rocky cliff, with several windows poking out of the cliffside. Hopeing to lighten the mood, Gust shouted "HEY GUYS! THERE'S THE TOWER!!" and on he continued, telling more about the tower and it's inhabitants as their journey finally drew to a close. Matthew grunted slightly. "Oh, because I'm so sure she wanted to die and leave you guys. I'm sure that's what her intention was. To gather you all up and become friend with you, and then go off and die because it's the most awesome prank evar. You stupid emo prick." Matthew snapped, anger flaring. Scythe was about to get blasted off of the carpet. And Matthew would keep Pinky nailed here this time, so she couldn't throw herself off. He glanced at her a moment, suddenly uneasy and insecure, Without warning, Scythe started acting purely on impluse. He jumped to his feet, and while that happened, his left arm transformed into an enormous hammer, which Scythe brought down in Matthew's direction. Sensing the danger, Gust sped up the wind, and the carpet was suddenly zooming over the cliff on which the tower stood. "Wah-" Something hard knocked into Matthew's side, sending him flying backwards and off of the carpet. Did Scythe really just hit him? He didn't really expect him to... do anything. The kitteh was supposed to sit there and take it like all emo's do. Wind pressed against Matthew's back. He was definately falling. The only questions were: "How long do I have?" and "Am I going to die?". Standing outside the tower was a tall, slim figure with arms folded neatly across her chest. At the sight of the falling boy, her already large eyes grew wider still. She extended one hand towards the ground beneath him, and a shape started to manifest out of the air. As it grew, it became clear that the structure was made of ice. It became taller, larger, and it was soon clear that it was taking the shape of some sort of slide or chute. It would seem that the odd girl, whose skin was a light shade of periwinkle and hair the color of cerulean, intended for the falling boy to land on the steeper part of the chute, and slide gently down to the ground. She quickly made her way towards the structure, her long legs taking her much faster than the average sized human. Thud! Matthew landed on his back, and, for some reason, it didn't hurt. Overcome with a wave of nausia, relief, and anxiety, the blonde didn't notice himself moving slowly foward until he was moving fast enough to actually hurt himself. Making it all the way to the bottom of the slide without screaming, throwing up, or pissing his pants, he came to a sudden halt as soon as he hit the ground. Matthew, staring lopsidedly at the girl from his position on the ground and shivering profusely, could only say one thing. "B.. blue.." The blue girl looked him over slowly. "Yes.." she replied, though it seemed that her old accent was setting in again, so it sounded more like "Yesch". She grabbed Matthew's hands and pulled him to his feet. She stared deep into his eyes, and as she did, a slight frown appeared. With no warning what-so-ever, she pulled Matthew into a tight hug. She closed her eyes. "You have been in much pain, yes?" she asked, not really expecting an answer, her formor accent gone. At some point the carpet with it's remaining passengers made a graceful landing not too far away. While Scythe headed for a small garden behind the tower without a word, Gust sat on the carpet and observed the scene in front of him. He cocked his head to one side, much like a dog would. "This is strange, usually Ice Fox punches people when she greets them." he mused, tapping his chin. "Uh... Uhm... I.." Matthew wasn't quite sure how to respond. Instead, he let his head the luxury of resting on her shoulder, while his arms wrapped slightly around her body. She smelt... different. Not like Pinky. Sweeter, almost, but different.... When did he start memorizing smells? Why was he even noticing the smell when she was blue? Despite all of this unecessary questioning, Matthew's breathes were becoming deeper. Was he about to cry? He couldn't! That was un-manish! How could all of the emotional shields he'd placed around himself been torn down by something as simple as a hug? Ice Fox pulled away from the hug and held Matthew by the shoulders, smiling. "Do not worry. The world is okay!" she exclaimed, taking him by the hand and leading him towards the tower. Even she couldn't explain her behavior, but that didn't even matter to her, because from the moment she had seen him tumble from the sky, she had been attached to him. "I am Ice Fox. But I think you may call me by my real name once I know of yours." she told him, approaching the double doors that automatically opened when the two stepped near them. He squeezed her hand tightly, refusing to let go. "Matthew..." he said, feeling slightly better. A snifle and a sob escaped Matthew, and his mood sunk immediately. Was he really going to cry? How could she even bring him close to that? What did he even have to cry about? Tears began welling up in his bright blue eyes as they entered the tower. A wave of nostalgia washed over him. Like a little kid, he clung closer to Ice Fox. Pinky was...outraged...no! She was simply...shocked, just completely utterly shocked and mortified. First of all, why was Matthew being so nasty? It sickened her that he would hear Gusts and Scythe's story about Flora, and he had only mocked them and thrown a verbal knife in their hearts. Pinky could only stare wide eyed as Matthew fell, she couldn't overcome the intensified feelings inside, she couldn't do anything. She was perpetually frozen in place. She saw Matthew slide down a slide of ice, made by whom she presumed was Ice Fox. Pinky was somewhat relieved, but her fury rose higher as she saw Ice Fox hug Matthew, and comfort him. And Matthew jsut took it! Pinky felt the heat rise to her face...the anger inside her was monstrous, it seethed and grew. That was when Ice Fox grabbed Matthew's hand and dragged him inside the building, with Matthew looking oh-so-sentimental. She lost it. Her brain exploded into a headche like no other, and Pinky fell to her knees gasping. She heard the echoes of her father's voice, the disappointment....the anger...Something snapped in Pinky and she got up, a dangerous flame burning in her hot pink eyes. She whipped out her Stick, which transformed into a long, wicked edged sword engulfed in fire. "MATTHEW!" She roared, her voice no longer the sweet syrup it normally was, but now a tremendous screech injected with so much fury that it practically broke eardrums and scraped the inside of a persons head. "Ah! Ah! Ah! Pinky! What're you doing?!" Gust said, grabbing her shoulders from behind. "Don't hurt 'em, they didn't do anything wrong!" he pleaded. "Let's just go inside, okay? I'll make you a cake! I make really good cakes. What kind d'you like?" Gust asked, moving to her side, but still holding one shoulder. He smiled, hoping for the best. "....." Matthew was paralyzed with fear. Trembling worse than he had after he slid down the icy-chute. His hand slid out of Ice Fox's and he just stood there... Staring into space... Would Pinky punish him..? He didn't want to see that happen.. Slowly, Matthew turned around.. What was wrong with her? Pinky dropped the Stick, which transformed back into normal. Gusts words stuck a chord in her mind and she snapped out of it. But her father's voice was still echoeing louder and louder in her mind. The migrane worsened, suucking up any energy she had left. She looked Matthew, then turned to Gust, smiled very weakly and nodde almost imperceptably, "Strawberry cake..." She said almost silently. Her dad's voice grew louder, it took control of her mind and wouldn't let her think. She dropped to her knees, putting her hands against her ears as if to stop the voice, while whispering desperately; "No! No!... Please! Make it go away.." With that she slumped onto the cold dirt and wished she could die, if only to get rid of the horrible flashbacks. Gust's smile dissapeared in a flash. "Huh? Pinky? What's wrong?! Pinky!" he said, his voice growing louder with each word. He dropped down to her level and nudged her gently. "Ahhh! What do I do?!" he asked the air. It blew through his hair in response. "Pinky? Pinky?!" he asked, poking her cheek. From afar, Ice Fox looked on blankly, not sure of what to do about Matthew's companion. "P.. Pinky..." Matthew mumbled, not sure what to do. If he went towards Pinky to try and help her, she might get mad or he might make things worse. And he didn't want to leave Ice Fox... Matthew turned back around, and walked up to her, hugging her again. "Could we go to wherever you were taking me...? Pinky will be fine..." Matthew pleaded. She wanted to be with Gust anyway. Now she could be, without Matthew there to spoil it. Pinky struggled to maintain her composure, she breathed deeply pushing the memories back and sealing them, if only for a short while. She stood up clumsily and muttered "I'm fine." She had to be strong, for Matthew, but when she looked for him...she found he wasn't there. He had abandoned her for Ice Fox, and that shattered her heart a little bit. ''Fine, if he want's to leave me then he can, I'm not going to get worked up over it ''She told herself, resolving to not let it get to her. She swayed a bit but managed a smile for Gust, if she didn't have Matthew, then maybe she could find solace in Gust. "Let's get to making that cake, shall we?" She said cheerfully while smiling at him. Ice Fox smiled at Matthew and once again resumed taking him by the hand into the tower. The inerior of the building was smaller than it looked. More like a small waiting room than anything, with two couches placed on the sides, potted plants in the corners, and a coffee table in the middle with magazines scattered everywhere. In the back sat two elevators, and in between them stood the entrance to a zig-zagging set of staircases, leading up or down. The colors could be described as drab and unappealing at best. The one thing that could catch your eye was a bright, colorful poster on the wall that read "TITANS SOUTH" in large, obnoxiously printed letters. Ice led Matthew to the right-hand elevator and pressed a button, where it was a short wait until the elevator came. When the doors open, Ice Fox rushed inside and pressed a button that read "7". The elevator doors closed, and they began zooming upward. Gust breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you're okay!" he exclaimed, and bounded over to the door Ice Fox and Matthew had just entered. "What kind of cake did you say you wanted? I think we can make any kind, because I sent Gadget out to buy groceries before I left. I hope he didn't get scared again. Because this one time.." he began, and it wouldn't seem that he would stop. But despite his non-stop-talking, he waited patiently by the door for Pinky. At some point Scythe had exited the garden and silently slipped inside, taking the other elevator. "So... where are we going?" Matthew asked, not at all perturbed by the way the place was decorated. Compared to some of the places he'd been sleeping in, this building was heaven. Even the elevator! It was carpeted! If he had a space this big all to himself, he wouldn't complain about anything ever again! Still, Matthew couldn't help glancing over and staring into Ice Fox's big, blue eyes. They were captivating. He squeezed her hand even tighter. Category:Role Play